Oxidative stress can disrupt the body’s ability to fight harmful free radicals, leading to premature aging and various health complications. This study investigated the antioxidant and anti-aging properties of four medicinal and edible mushrooms: Ganoderma lucidum, Hericium erinaceus, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Agaricus bisporus. The antioxidant activity of mushroom extracts was evaluated using (DPPH-ABTS-Reducing power). The anti-aging effects were assessed using Human Skin Fibroblasts (HSF) cells subjected to D-galactose-induced aging (30 g/L/72 h) and treated with mushroom extracts (0.03–0.25 mg/mL/72 h). The results demonstrated that all mushrooms have significant antioxidant and anti-aging properties, with low concentrations of extracts (0.03 mg/mL) effectively promoting cell proliferation at an 87% rate in the Agaricus bisporus extract, enhancing cell cycle progression by reducing the arrested cells in the G0/G1 phase to 75%, and promoting DNA synthesis in S phase by more than 16.36% in the Hericium erinaceus extract. Additionally, the extracts reduced DNA damage and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels, protecting cells from oxidative stress and potentially contributing to anti-aging effects. The mushrooms also exhibited immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects by upregulating the IL-2, IL-4, and downregulating IL-6 expression, indicating their potential to promote general health. These findings suggest the potential of mushroom extracts as natural agents for reducing the negative effects of aging while promoting cellular health. Further research is required to explore the specific bioactive compounds responsible for these beneficial effects and to evaluate their efficacy in vivo.

Pleurotus ostreutus is one of the world’s most commonly consumed mushrooms. The cultivation of mushrooms using wood resources usually results in environmental issues such as deforestation. Juncao grasses, namely (JJ) Cenchrus fungigraminus, (AR) Saccharum arundinaceum, and (MS) Miscanthus floridulus, supplemented with 20% wheat brain, 1% ground coffee, 1% gysum, and 1% lime, were used as the culture mediums in this research, which offers a composting system with a simple formulation that is cheap and feasible for small farms to use in cultivating oyster mushrooms. The present study assessed the different juncao grasses as substrates for growing Pleurotus ostreatus given their enzyme activities, growth, and yields. The results demonstrated that the yields of pleurotus ostreatus grown on JJ, AR, and MS substrates were significantly different at the level of 0.05 and were recorded as follows: 159.2 g/bag, 132 g/bag, and 65.1 g/bag on average, respectively. The biological efficiency of Pleurotus ostreatus cultivated in three different substrates was 75.2%, 63.4%, and 28.7%, respectively. Lignin peroxidase (LiP) was the most active enzyme in each culture material among the other enzyme activities expressed differently between the substrate and growing stages. At the same time, other enzyme activities were differently expressed between the substrate and different developmental stages. Nutrient analysis revealed significant variations, with differences in polysaccharides, proteins, and amino acids among substrates, as well as the presence of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium in all samples within safe limits. The obtained results indicated that Saccharum arundinaceum is a good substrate in place of Cenchrus fungigraminus, and that using Miscanthus floridulus is not productive. Moreover, the juncao grasses offer a sustainable approach that reduces reliance on wood-based substrates and enhances environmental sustainability.

In a long-term evolution, fungal endophytes have formed a mutually beneficial relationship with host plants. Therefore, what roles do fungal endophytes play in the growth and development of rice, one of the major food crops in the world, and agricultural production? This mini-review aims to highlight the diversity, identification, colonization, function, and mechanism of action of endophytic fungi isolated from rice tissues through a literature review; comprehensively expound the interaction mechanism between rice fungal endophytes and their hosts in stimulating the growth of rice plants and alleviating biological and abiotic stresses on plants; and contribute new ideas for rice production and a sustainable rice industry. Additionally, rice fungal endophytes, as a new resource, have broad prospects in the development of biopesticides, biocontrol agents, and new medicine.

Morchella importuna is a highly priced edible and medicinal mushroom. Crop rotation is an important management technique to improve soil health. In this study, the morphological characteristics, chemical composition, and nutritional quality of the M. importuna fruitbody under five different rotation systems (named RSA to RSE) were investigated. The results showed that the fruitbodies of M. importuna in rotation system C (RSC, Rice–Pea–M. importuna rotation) grew best (with the highest yield of 6804.90 kg/hm²) and were of higher quality, which showed significant increases in crude protein (37.32 g/100 g) and decreases in crude fat (4.04 g/100 g), crude fiber (10.06 g/100 g), and total ash (9.32 g/100 g). The heavy metal contents (Pb, Cd, and Hg) in the fruitbodies from all rotation systems were rare or none, which meets the standards of the Chinese Green Food Standard and the maximum limit in foodstuffs of the European Union Standard. In addition, the free amino acid compositions of morel under different rotation systems were analyzed. The ratio of essential amino acids to total amino acids (EAA/TAA) was highest in RSC (37.11%). The tested morels were abundant in umami, sweet, aromatic, and medicinal amino acids (UAA, SAA, AAA and MAA). Combining amino acid score, chemical score, and other nutrition indexes, RSC had the best impact on the yield and quality of morel. Our results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the cultivation model of rotating “Rice–Vegetables–Fungi” for the production of M. importuna in a way that develops high-quality agriculture.

Long-term plant residue retention can effectively replenish soil quality and fertility. In this study, we collected rhizosphere soil from the residual roots of annual Cenchrus fungigraminus in the Ulan Buh Desert over the past 10 years. The area, depth, and length of these roots decreased over time. The cellulose content of the residual roots was significantly higher in the later 5 years (2018–2022) than the former 5 years (2013–2017), reaching its highest value in 2021. The lignin content of the residual roots did not differ across samples except in 2015 and reached its highest level in 2021. The total sugar of the residual roots in 2022 was 227.88 ± 30.69 mg·g⁻¹, which was significantly higher than that in other years. Compared to the original sandy soil, the soil organic matter and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) contents were 2.17–2.41 times and 31.52–35.58% higher in the later 3 years (2020–2022) and reached the highest values in 2020. The residual roots also significantly enhanced the soil carbon stocks from 2018–2022. Soil dehydrogenase, nitrogenase, and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosidase (S-NAG) were significantly affected from 2019–2022. The rhizosphere soil community richness and diversity of the bacterial and fungal communities significantly decreased with the duration of the residual roots in the sandy soil, and there was a significant difference for 10 years. Streptomyces, Bacillus, and Sphigomonas were the representative bacteria in the residual root rhizosphere soil, while Agaricales and Panaeolus were the enriched fungal genera. The distance-based redundancy analysis and partial least square path model results showed that the duration of residual roots in the sandy soil, S-NAG, and SMBC were the primary environmental characteristics that shaped the microbial community. These insights provide new ideas on how to foster the exploration of the use of annual herbaceous plants for sandy soil improvement in the future.

Oyster mushrooms are regarded as one of the most significant edible mushrooms in terms of commercial value because of their rich nutritional profile. Many bioactive extracts from Pleurotus species have been found to exhibit antitumor and antioxidant activities. However, to grow oyster mushrooms in this study, the pasteurized Cenchrus fungigraminus was used as culture material, a type of grass that proliferates and has a high root growth rate. It contains high levels of sugar and protein and yields a large amount of biomass. Because of these characteristics, it is considered an efficient and cost-effective energy crop with various applications, including phytoremediation and fodder production. A pasteurization technique for this grass that is suited for the simplest formulation is simple and cost-effective for growing oyster mushrooms on small farms. This study used pasteurized Cenchrus fungigraminus as a substrate to grow three mushroom species: Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus pulmonarius and Pleurotus florida. The aim was to evaluate their enzyme activities, growth rate, and yields. The findings demonstrated that the average growth rate of three species grown in pasteurized C. fungigraminus was between 25 days and 36 days. Therefore, the mycelium growth rate of P. ostreatus was faster than other pleurotus species in this study. The highest biological efficiency was recorded with P. ostreatus at 78.23%, then P. pulmonarius at 59.88, and lastly, 39.66% P. florida. The changes in five enzyme activities in distinct developmental stages of three different pleurotus species were evaluated. Therefore, the laccase had the highest peak with 13.8 U/g on the 20th day during the growth phase and gradually decreased to the fruiting body stage of P. ostreatus. The expression of manganese peroxidase reached the highest activity of 3.6 U/g in P. ostreatus compared to P. florida and P. pulmonarius on the 10th day. The expression of other enzymes varied between species and developmental phases. The results indicate the usefulness of pasteurized C. fungigraminus for cultivating Pleurotus species and expression enzyme activity in different Pleurotus species.